A trip planned to Trier and Luxembourg in a short span of time, with a group of 9 including 3 little girls of the same age, turned out to be a beautiful one for all different reasons.
Trier is in Germany and is bordered by the city state of Luxembourg on one side and France on the other. So, along with Trier, our trip included Luxembourg too.
Initially, we planned to take the public transport and roam around the ancient town of Roman remains, Trier and the city state of Luxembourg, but eventually decided to drive all the way.
It was a 3 day trip and we started from Stuttgart on day one in a 9 seater vehicle. Trier is about 3.5 hours by road from Stuttgart. Thanks to the German Autobahn, the drive was tireless and we reached Trier by mid morning. If driving to Trier, finding a proper parking place on a weekend can be a challenge. But luckily, we found one very close to Porta Nigra, which is the heart of the town.
Day 1 – Trier :
Plan for the day:
· Drive to Trier ( 3.5 hours from Stuttgart)
· Roam around Trier and its Roman remains
· Travel to Luxembourg and halt
How to Reach Trier:
- Drive to Trier can be an option, if in Germany or in the bordering towns of France or Luxembourg
- Or, Travel by the well-connected network of Deutsche Bahn within Germany (if travelling on weekends, Germany offers a lot of different ticketing options which you might want to consider before travelling)
- Or, you can fly to Luxembourg. Trier is just 30 minutes drive from here.
Trier(A Day in Trier):
Trier happens to be one of the oldest towns in Germany and is known for the significant Roman remains that are found there. Our exploration began at the stone gateway which stands tall and majestic in the heart of the city – Porta Nigra.
- Porta Nigra : This large Roman city gate has been named after its dark coloured stones. It is said that this is one of the 4 city gates of the city of Trier. Interestingly, these gates were never treated as gates but as material supplies for the ongoing construction at that time. The stones and the metal requirements of the city construction were largely fulfilled by these gates. Therefore, the destruction of these gates were inflicted upon not by the vagaries of time but by a systematic damage caused by the removal of construction materials. It is said that for a brief period, a Church housed here too. Well, presently it is part of the UNESCO world heritage sites. We were in Trier on a cool summer day and we could see some kind of a celebration there. We enjoyed the musical band dressed up in the traditional German attire playing lively music. After a while, we walked through the busy bustling main street of Trier, passing through numerous shops and restaurants who had put up tables out on the streets and so on. We grabbed some vegan bread varieties which served as quick lunch for us!!!
- Hauptmarkt / Market area, Market Foutain : A cozy market area in the city center. It was a saturday when we were here and the local market with colourful stalls selling fresh fruits, vegetables and lot more, were open. It was the season of berries and we were tempted to purchase some strawberries and cherries. Yumm!!! We all grabbed and finished the box full of berries in no time!!! It was a beautiful square with traditional buildings in vibrant colours, a characteristic so typical of Germany, and an equally beautiful fountain overlooked by the church tower. We spent some time there and proceeded towards the cathedral.
- Trierer Dom / St. Peter’s Cathedral : This cathedral is Germany’s oldest and was built over different eras and times. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It displays layered architecture with the central part of the church built in Roman bricks. It is said that the Church was built on top of the Palace of the emperor Constantine’s mother after his conversion to Christianity. This church was destroyed and rebuilt multiple times over the years by different rulers of different lands. The rich interiors, the baroque ceilings, the church organ are few things not to be missed here. What I loved the most here, was certainly the Church organ. Roman Double Church stood in place of this cathedral and the adjacent ‘Church of our lady’ earlier.
- Church of our lady : Below this round shaped church, stood the ancient Roman double church. Well, nothing above the ground level is Roman now. The architecture in the main entrance and the ceilings along with the glass paintings are something not to be missed here. This church is considered as the oldest Gothic Church in Germany. We walked around the Church, loved the glass ceilings and the colours, and captured a lot of pictures, both inside and out.
- Roman Basilica : This is considered as the largest undestroyed Roman structure outside of Rome. Also a part of the UNESCO world heritage site, this Basilica used to be the house of the bishop of Trier during the middle ages. As there was an event going on inside, public was not allowed inside the Basilica on the day of our visit. So, we walked around the place and proceeded towards the palace garden.
- The Palace garden : This is where the kids had a gala time. We spent lot of time here as the kids were reluctant to go elsewhere. The greenery and the colourful blooms kept them hooked on to this place . This garden displays some good art work from the past in the form of statues. At the end of this park are the ruins of the Roman Imperial Baths.
- Roman Imperial Baths : The entry to this biggest public bath outside Rome closes at 6 P.M. in summers and you may want to check on the timings before you travel : Roman Imperial Baths . It was just 5 minutes before closure, but as they close admission 30 mintues prior, we were not able to make it in. But yes, we could see the remains of the imperial baths from outside. Inside the campus, there are remains of hot water baths, the boiler rooms, tunnels, walls and passages. Though we couldn’t get into the details, we could however go back in time to the Roman age and feel how these Roman baths were used for sport and fun.
- From there, we traced our path back to Porta Nigra through the enchanting streets of the beautiful town of Trier and then, drove towards Luxembourg as our apartment was enroute.Our brief trip to Trier was good and a memorable one. The next 1.5 days, we were to tour and explore Luxembourg
Stay/Apartment:
Stay in Rollingen, Luxembourg, booked through Airbnb.
The apartment was huge with 3 rooms, one large and spacious living area and multiple balconies. For a group of 9, it was indeed a great apartment to stay.
It was in such a beautiful location that I wanted to go out for a walk after taking some rest. But after a tiring, day long walk tour, the rest of them gave a thumbs down, and so, we just had some chit chat over the dinner table. Yes, we cooked a very simple dinner for ourselves in the kitchenette of the apartment and effortlessly slipped to bed thereafter!!!
Day 2 – Luxembourg city:
Woke up early (Not so early though) and quickly went out for a walk around the apartment. Wow. Beautiful landscape. Colourful houses along a steepy round which curved in every few meters leading us to the top of the hill only to keep us in awe at the jawdropping valley view below. We stayed there for a while and walked back to the apartment to have a quick breakfast and get ready for our next destination – Luxembourg. We headed to the town of Luxembourg which was about 20 minutes by road from our apartment. We parked our vehicle near the bock casemates and decided to walk around the town from there on:
· Corniche : Having parked our car close to this place, we started our walk tour from here. Yes, a breathtaking view of this small town from here is a must if you are doing a walk tour in Luxembourg town. No wonder it is called the most beautiful balcony of Europe. A good panoramic view of the valley, the town of Grund, the casemates and more.
· Bock Casemates : This UNESCO World Heritage site is indeed a wonder. First built in the 16th century by the Spanish, this 23 kilometer long tunnel spanning through multiple levels reaching 40 meters below the ground level. Of the 23 kilometer stretch, only 17 kilometer of the casemates are remaining now and it was first opened for public in 1933. Today, the entrance cost is 6 Euros / adult.
Once inside the casemates, we were at a loss of words. There were long corridors with some openings at regular intervals from where you could get fresh air and of course, a great view of the Grund. There were canons in such places. These corridors were right below the fortress and in the ancient days, it could serve as shelters for the people of the entire town during invasions. There were spiral stairs which seemed to be never ending as we descended, leading to another set of corridors. At some places, the ceilings were low enough to be touched. Few paths led to a dead end. It was kind of walking through the maze and we all had fun and at the same time decided to stay in a group so that we don’t get lost!!! I would say that this is a must visit place if you are in Luxembourg. The mysterious history behind these casemates unravelled as we got inside each corridor. We spent around 2 – 3 hours inside the casemates. Along with the ticket, a small casemates map is handed over to help us inside the casemates. It was not all that easy to understand and use it though.
· Pétrusse Express Train ride: I would recommend tourists to take this train ride when in Luxembourg. It takes us by the side of the casemates, through the valley, the Grund, and lot more, spanning 50-60 minutes. Named after the river flowing through this small country of Luxembourg, Pétrusse express train ride is worth the money and time.
Tickets: There are different pricing options for adults separately, groups (for over 10 people), kids (above 4 years) and families. As we were a group of 9 with 6 adults and 3 kids, we purchased 2 family tickets and 2 adult tickets which worked out the best for us. Family ticket costs 28 Euros and individual adult ticket about 10 Euros. Group ticket costs 8 Euros per head in a group over 10 people, and for kids, it is 6 Euros. The tour operates every hour starting at 10 A.M. in the morning until 6 P.M. We purchased the tickets and as there was enough time and the kids were already hungry, we thought of having a quick lunch.
We walked around the town in search of a good restaurant, and in the process, passed through the Grand Ducal Palace, the entry to which is not open for public though. We grabbed few eatables from a take away restaurant and boarded the Pétrusse express train. We had picked some cut mangoes, quinoa salad, sprouts and veggie salads for ourselves. There were audio guides in 4 languages and English is one of them. It was a good ride of 50 minutes through the city of Luxembourg. The train ride was indeed nice and we could actually go around the beautiful town of Luxembourg viewing the amazing architecture, culture, which otherwise, with kids would have been difficult to cover. The tired kids loved the pleasant trip so much that half way through the ride they all slept off. If travelling with kids, I would highly recommend this trip to be included in your day trip in Luxembourg, as this train is so appealing for the kids that they will love the ride and also get enough rest in an otherwise packed day.
· Grand Ducal Palace: It is a palace and official residence of the Grand Duke of Luxembourg. Luxembourg military performs the guard duties in front of the palace. The entrance to the palace is exclusively in summer months of July and August. The façade of the palace is atleast a must see if travelling in other seasons. When we visited, the palace was not open for public.
· Adolphe Bridge : A beautiful arch bridge connecting people on either sides of the Petrusse river. Named after the then Duke of Luxembourg Grand Duke Adolphe, though this bridge is easily 100 years old, it is still referred to as the New bridge.
· Notre Dame cathedral : Back from the train ride, we took a small coffee break and proceeded towards the Notre Dame Cathedral. It is the only cathedral of Luxembourg. An example of Gothic architecture, it displays a lot of Renaissance elements and structures. Columns, sculptures, painted and colourful glasses, the confessionals and the organ are something to be seen here.
By the time we came out, it started to rain heavily. And the weather turned really bad. We hurriedly got into our vehicle .We drove in the direction of Vianden Castle, which too was in our list. Well, we didnt find it but found a good restaurant. Also to add on to it, we reached the place around the closure time, so the hungry us had to drop it from our list. But nevertheless, this castle seems to be beautiful to be included in the itenary, if time permits.
Restaurant : il Passa Tempo
This restaurant is in the outskirts of the city, and we really loved it for its ambience, food and the location. Kids loved it more for its open oven, where they could actually see the pizza being baked !!! The food was lip smacking and we ordered all the vegetarian food listed in the menu. Thankfully, all the kids love Italian food too. To add upon it, they ate what they saw being baked. One must try the vegetarian Quatro Formaggi pizza here.Yummmm!!!
The tired us, retreated to our apartment and rested for the day.
It was a wonderful day in Luxembourg. Had it not rained, we would have got a few more hours to look around.
Day 3 – Luxembourg Castles :
Woke up early and had some quick breakfast and got ready. Today we just had about half a day in hand before we headed back to Stuttgart. So we decided to visit few castles around and this was the list :
· Larochette castle
· Bourscheid Castle
One thing to be noted here. These castles can be well covered if you have a car or have some extra days to spend in Luxembourg as travelling here can get cumbersome and time consuming if done by public transport.
We started our day with Larochette castle.
Larochette Castle :
It is about 30 minutes drive from Luxembourg. The approach is through a curvy narrow road between the welcoming greens on either side. The ruins of this beautiful castle perched upon a sandstone hill gives a peak into how the lives of the lords around the area had been, centuries ago, before this castle was completely ruined due to a fire. As per the studies of the remains, it is understood that in the good old days of the 12th century, about 5 families of the lords stayed in the castle. The castle underwent major renovations in late 1980s. Though most of the castle portions are still under ruins, it does give a picture of how the day to day life of the lords would have been then.
The main building of the castle is very interesting with multiple levels for different purposes. There is a kitchen with a huge oven, a store house and a butcher’s house. A level above, there is a big multipurpose hall, which used to serve as the ball room or the prayer room or a hall for some get together and the likes. The pillars and walls had some hand etched figures of spades which also showed that this also used to be the hall for some fun and other relaxation activities. There also were toilets and bathrooms attached. The attic accessed through wooden stairs had several rooms. It easily reminded me of the attic in my granny’s place and how as kids we spent most of our times there. Well, one can imagine the grandeur of the lives of the lords and the families who lived there. Also, each room had some painting piece hung in one corner which illustrated the location better. Out of the building, I paused a while to gaze at the valley, the hamlets, the river, the forest and the bridges. While we drove through the roads of the small hamlets below, we felt as if these places were abandoned as we couldn’t find many people or activities going on around, but from the top, I could see a lot of vehicle and people movements. The feeling of supremacy comes effortlessly when a person stands here and gets to view the entire valley.
With a peaceful view from every corner of the castle on offer, one can easily spend all the day here, but due lack of time, we had to cut it down to 2 hours here.
Entrance ticket : 4 Euros per head
Note :
· Getting here by public transport isn’t easy and one must be prepared for a steep walk
· If travelling by car, there is enough car parking at the top
· The pathway inside the castle is uneven. Comfortable footwear is a must
· Simple snacks and drinks are available at the top
· Well maintained rest rooms are available inside the campus
· They do hand over a paper guide with numbers marked on it, but I personally didn’t find it user friendly .
Bourscheid Castle :
The second castle for the day. Yes, once again, through curves and valleys we reached this castle located in a very cosy and scenic chateau. The castle by itself under ruins with some having been restored, gives us a feel of the times when it was full of life. Perched upon a cliff, it can be viewed from the roads running far and away. The castle in all its past glory, had a chapel, a palace, a great hall, towers, residential building, dungeon, bakery and the likes. The initial construction of the castle dates back to the 10th century and the construction of the castle went on through generations. The castle started to see its downfall after the death of Lord Bourscheid. Gradually, feudal system too came to an end when the French troops invaded the castle in the early 18th century. The castle remained abandoned and left in the ruins thereafter until 1972, when the castle was opened for public by the Luxembourg state after restoring parts of it.
What I liked the most about this castle is its unique location and view of the hamlets by the river Sure flowing calmly through the valleys.
Easily takes about 2 to 3 hours to cover once inside
Entrance ticket: 5 Euros per head.
Audio guides too are provided.
Note :
· Comfortable footwear is a must as there is a good amount of walk through uneven surfaces inside
· Not wheelchair or carriage friendly
· A pair of shades and a bottle of water and few junkies in the backpack will keep you hooked
· Keep ample time to just sit in a corner and enjoy the view forgetting the hustles and bustles of life
· Well maintained rest rooms available
· Cafeteria available
The little girls were very excited about the castles and loved them both to the fullest possible extent.
Finally, we had to end our day at around 4 P.M. as we had to drive back to Stuttgart.
It was yet another memorable trip covering the beautiful places of Trier and Luxembourg.
Tips:
- Luxembourg city is best explored by foot and local transportation but if you plan to visit few castles on the outskirts of Luxembourg, having a car certainly helps to save on time and also be a little more flexible
- Trier is worth a day trip, and not more, unless you plan to cover places a few kilometres away from the city
- You can easily include the neighbouring Luxembourg for a good weekend trip. But for the best utilisation of time, if travelling by public transport, plan your travel accordingly as the walk tour of these two towns alone require a minimum of 2 days!!!
- A pair of shades, an umbrella, a good camera, a backpack with some munchies and a bottle of water – must when you travel here
- Even if travelling by car / vehicle, it is suggested to explore Trier and Luxembourg by foot, after parking it in some safe place
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